Tech notes from Day 1 of ISC West 2009

There's way too much to cover at ISC West 2009, just as there was way too much to cover fully at ISC West 2008. First, let's hit some show notes:

Booth aisles seem to be wider -- I guess that is because there are fewer vendors. There don't seem to be that many fewer attendees, however. I've heard show registration was only off 6%. That's fantastic considering the economic situation. So, forget the doom-and-gloom; it's not here at ISC West 2009. Now that that's over, let's get to the tech notes:

Sony is showing off the industry's first HD PTZ camera as they're simultaneously introducing a full line of encoders and launching hybrid solutions. They have six new cameras at their booth, and two of them are HD cameras. They also have some very nice HD displays (42" and 47" models) that show off their HD cameras.

Honeywell is showing few nice things on the alarm side that dealers should focus in on. The 5800PIR-OD outdoor motion detector is a wireless device for outdoor motion detection that could be used, for example, to detect driveway entries. They also have the 5870 asset protection device, another wireless sensor that can detect if an asset (think safe, expensive artwork, maybe even a gun locker) is being moved or removed. The 5870s are wireless as well. Both talk to the Vista and Lynx panels that have the wireless communication add-ons. Also worth looking at is the "My Keypad" offering; this is an application that users can download to their Blackberry to get remote, look-alike access to their home's keypad. Next up, "My Keypad" for the iPhone.

Schlage is showing off a tie-in of its Bright Blue access control offering with video surveillance storage company 3VR. It links up to 32 analog or IP cameras with the door access points of Bright Blue. Access control events link to nice thumbnails of video using the 3VR system. I'm hearing pretty positive sales numbers on Bright Blue from Schlage/Ingersoll Rand management.

Bosch is wanting you to "Think IP" and "Maximize analog." The company gave a report on its growth today at a luncheon. First, they saw 9% growth for analog video in 2008 while the IP business grew 75% in 2008 (it had doubled the previous year). The "Extreme CCTV" line of product sales were up 16% in 2008, and Bosch is finding great success in its modular IP camera system called the AutoDome. The company rolled out some new fire panels and on the video front is reading to roll out H.264 to all IP cameras. They've introduced a new hybrid DVR at the show and also have new IP-connected infrared imagers (coming out of the Extreme line). In summary, don't leave money on the table by ignoring analog sales as you ramp up on IP video, or as Bosch's Dr. Bob Banerjee explains, "There is still a ton of money to be made [by resellers] in analog video."

Altronix has a whole mess of POE injectors designed for mid-span placement. The company has really positioned itself to tap the IP trend here, and they have two of their "NetWay" POE units that include ports which can be adapted for non-compliant devices requiring up to 30 watts in case you have that odd camera which requires more power than current standards. Also in the NetWay line is the "XT" repeater to extend the POE further down your category cabling. Also on the video surveillance front, Altronix is launching the RESERV video surveillance UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to keep your cameras running when the power goes down.

It's not technology but Stanley announced this morning that it has acquired Sonitrol of South Texas, a Sonitrol franchise primarily focused on the commercial market.

Axis Communications turns 25 years old this year but it's not slowing down on product launches. They are showcasing a wide range of encoders, dome cameras, mini-dome cameras, and even a PTZ camera that are all new for the show. It's Axis, so I shouldn't even have to mention these are all network cameras and designed with things like PoE in mind.

OK, that's all the time I have right now for tech notes on the show floor; check out our ISC West 2009 page to look at a lot of the product news announcements vendors are releasing here in Vegas.